Most students who learn French tend to have difficulties in pronouncing the language. This usually leads to avoiding speaking French or being scared and ashamed to speak French. Are you very good in grammar and have a wide range of vocabulary, but you don’t feel like speaking simply because you’re afraid that native speakers might not understand you? This course will help you master the French pronunciation and accentuation while minimalizing your “English accent”. We will focus on the rhythm, the accentuation, the French vowels and consonants, as well as the relationships between oral French and written French. Suitable for anyone with some prior knowedge of the language.

Tutor supplied material.

CLASS PLANFive sessions with the following objectives:

Have the students go over their fears and obstacles

Give the students a methodology on how to work on their pronunciation beyond the classroom

Tackle pronunciation difficulties of non-native French speakers (e.g. /r/ and nasal sounds to only name a few)

Master French rhythmic patterns and accentuation

Master French specific sounds such as nasal sounds and the famous /r/

CONTENTFrench phonetics including rhythm, accentuation, pronouncing consonants, pronouncing vowels, pronouncing nasal sounds, and the relationship between oral and written French.

Topics

French rhythm: melody, accentuation, pauses

French oral vowels

French nasal vowels

French semi-consonants

French consonants

Relationship between sounds and written letters

PLANNED LEARNING OUTCOMESBy the end of this course, students should be able to:

Speak clearly and be understood by French native speakers

Speak with a good rhythm and accentuation

Minimise their “English” accent

Identify French-specific sounds and be able to pronounce them accurately